Mao in the Boardroom
Subtitle: Marketing Genius from the Mind of the Master Guerrilla
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Published: June 28, 2003
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 272
ISBN-13: 9780312310851
Subjects: Capitalist or free market economies; Humour; Management & management techniques; Marketing; Business & Economics; Business / Economics / Finance; Business/Economics; Advertising & Promotion; General; Marketing - General; Humor / General; Marketing executives
First sentence: "We're Mao, Hahn, Bell, Larkin, Yarbrough and Associates.
Description: Stricker, who's identified as "a young marketing expert" on this book's back cover, asserts that before Steve Jobs, Ben and Jerry, and Richard Branson, there was Mao Tse-tung. He "may not have been a capitalist at heart, but he sure knew how to wage an underdog war against a better armed, better equipped, Goliath opponent." Stricker presents a pocket-sized, heavily illustrated-and heavily satirical-handbook to understanding the Chairman's approach to business. Tongue-in-cheek commentaries on companies who embrace guerrilla concepts (including Apple, Skyy vodka, Swatch and HBO) accompany photos of Mao in action (e.g., superimposed onto a 1984 Apple ad). Stricker then offers mini-profiles of guerrilla leaders, from RCN's David McCourt (like Mao, he "has a vision for the future") to The Body Shop's Anita Roddick (she "believes in fighting clean"). A curious amalgam of humor and business advice, Stricker's book should appeal to little guys thinking about going up against the big dogs.